I would think the easiest method, albeit not terribly objective, would simply be to get someone who is fairly good at manipulation and play out scenarios with them. I’ve done this a few times as the manipulator, and it’s sort of scary how easily I can manipulate people in specific games, even when they know the rules and have witnessed some of my techniques.
If you do try it, I’ll comment that time and social pressure help me a lot in making people more pliable, too. I do these as a group exercise, so there’s a lot of peer pressure both to perform well, and not to use exactly the sort of “cheats” you should be using to resist manipulation. It’s also helped that I’ve always known the group and thus known how to tweak myself to hit specific weaknesses.
If you find something more useful than this, I’d love to hear it. I’ve merely learned I’m fairly good at manipulating—I have no clue how good I am at resisting :)
Having not tested them, I wouldn’t be sure. I tend to do best with people who are either following an easily inferred pattern (office workers, security, etc.) or people who I know personally, which would make it harder to do with someone I don’t know. You also are neither “disposable” (someone I’ll never deal with again) nor a friend, which adds a bit of social awkwardness.
Given that’s an entire paragraph of excuses, I suppose I should offer to try it anyway, if you want :)
For anyone wondering how this went, handoflixue failed to manipulate me into anything, in fact most of the successful manipulating was the other way around :-)
I have occasionally seen quizzes that purport to tell you how biased you are in purportedly relevant ways to cult susceptibility. I can’t say I found any of them revelatory, as, since you know what the test is testing, it’s way too easy to answer with the right answer rather than the true readout, even when you want the latter. I suppose proper testing would have to be similar to psychological measures of cognitive biases.
Do you know of any techniques to measure your own manipulability somewhat objectively?
I would think the easiest method, albeit not terribly objective, would simply be to get someone who is fairly good at manipulation and play out scenarios with them. I’ve done this a few times as the manipulator, and it’s sort of scary how easily I can manipulate people in specific games, even when they know the rules and have witnessed some of my techniques.
If you do try it, I’ll comment that time and social pressure help me a lot in making people more pliable, too. I do these as a group exercise, so there’s a lot of peer pressure both to perform well, and not to use exactly the sort of “cheats” you should be using to resist manipulation. It’s also helped that I’ve always known the group and thus known how to tweak myself to hit specific weaknesses.
If you find something more useful than this, I’d love to hear it. I’ve merely learned I’m fairly good at manipulating—I have no clue how good I am at resisting :)
That reminds me of a bit from a book about art forgery—that need, greed, and speed make people more gullible.
I’d love to try this (being the manipulatee). Do your mind tricks work over Skype?
Having not tested them, I wouldn’t be sure. I tend to do best with people who are either following an easily inferred pattern (office workers, security, etc.) or people who I know personally, which would make it harder to do with someone I don’t know. You also are neither “disposable” (someone I’ll never deal with again) nor a friend, which adds a bit of social awkwardness.
Given that’s an entire paragraph of excuses, I suppose I should offer to try it anyway, if you want :)
Good! How about Sunday evening (CEST)?
CEST = UTC+2, correct? I’m PST (UTC-7), so that’d put you 9 hours ahead of me.
My 10 AM would be your 7 PM—would that work for you? I can do a couple hours later if not.
EDIT: I’m assuming Sunday, May 1st, 2011. If you could send me your Skype name that will probably also make this much easier :)
For anyone wondering how this went, handoflixue failed to manipulate me into anything, in fact most of the successful manipulating was the other way around :-)
I have occasionally seen quizzes that purport to tell you how biased you are in purportedly relevant ways to cult susceptibility. I can’t say I found any of them revelatory, as, since you know what the test is testing, it’s way too easy to answer with the right answer rather than the true readout, even when you want the latter. I suppose proper testing would have to be similar to psychological measures of cognitive biases.